Love Him Not
by Pipe Fox
Summary: Theortically speaking, if Blossom is *dating* Brick, and Bubbles is dating Boomer, then Buttercup would naturally like Butch? Right? Wrong. In fact, she hates his guts! How far will two sisters go to makes their sibling 'see the light'? Complete.
1. Where the Enemies Stand

Disclaimer: I don't own PPG

Disclaimer: I don't own PPG!

Hey there!I normally write Digimon fictions, and Harry Potter (okay…one…) and just decided to write a story about Townville's most favoritest super heroines!Um…let's see…if you're a Digimon fan, I SWEAR (or promise, for those who don't swear) that I will have the Senior Year part 2 out soon, but until then, this is a PPG/RRB fic so if you don't like it, don't read it!Okay, please, just read it.

Love Him Not

"For crying out loud…"Buttercup cursed and threw the candid picture 'someone' had laid on her bed into the trash.Why?Why did they continually put pictures of HIM (no, not the villain Him, just a guy), him of all people, around her to see.Seeing pictures of Butch wasn't going to make her like him any more than she already disliked him.And just because Bubbles was going steady with Boomer and Blossom was in denial about Brick should not result in her going puppy-love sick over some guy.

This was Buttercup.THE Buttercup.The tough one.The mean one.And she was NOT going to lose such a title because of her silly sisters and their lovey-dovey ambitions.

"Hey Buttercup."Blossom poked her carrot-haired head into her room, grimacing at the messy state.What could she say?Buttercup liked her mess where it was.Speaking of which, her sister swept various items off of the bedspread, and right onto the floor, glared at her, lifting a polished black and green guitar from its stand and strumming its chords into tune.In other words, she was ignoring the other Powerpuff in the room.

"So…I accidentally left a picture in here…do you know where it is?"Buttercup glared at her a second time, her lime green eyes piercing into her tickle-me-pink ones before turning her back.

"Buttercup-"

"It's in the trash."Blossom sighed and delicately floated over to her bed, daring herself to touch it.Only after ten seconds of very cautious levitation did she actually manage to land on top of it without touching anything to her disliking.

"Buttercup…what's so bad about Butch?"She turned her head and slammed her guitar down into the stand, crossing her arms in an extremely cross manner.

"Funny.You should say, what's good about him.It'll probably be a shorter answer."Blossom tried to smooth Buttercup's silky black hair.She swatted her sister's hand away like a fly."Just because you're going out with his brother-"

"I am NOT going out with Brick.We're just good friends."Buttercup shot her a glance, an 'I'm not stupid' glance.Blossom blushed.

"Sure.Whatever.In any case, nothing you or Bubbles will do can make me change my mind.He's a bum.I'd never date him.I'd never go out with him.So stop putting those stupid pictures in my room!"She snapped, flustered with a rise in her temper and apparated out of the room, the only thing left was a dazzlement of green wisps.

As the girls got older, their powers increased in amazement more a more.Now at age sixteen, Bubbles could speak any language under the sun and Blossom could turn invisible at will.Buttercup's speed had increased so much that she learned to transfer her energy from one place to another instantly.In any case, Blossom could see her sister outside, skateboarding down the street, a fuzzy green BEEBO dog yapping behind her. 

Bubbles came into Blossom's room that afternoon, after the Buttercup incident, while she was brushing her hair.

"So?"

"She threw it away, again!"

"Oh..."Bubbles was petite; like her other sisters she grew out her hair but still wore it in two blonde ponytails.She took the brush from Blossom's hand and started to brush her sister's hair."Maybe she'll come around..."

"I doubt it.You can't make a girl like a guy; especially a girl like Buttercup."The girl's looked over to see a blonde Rowdyruff Boy, Boomer, standing in the doorway.He'd grown really tall, like his brothers, and changed his neat hair into a messy, wavy style.He'd also outgrown the traditional formation clothes; he wore baggy jeans and a black shirt that said 'BOOM!' in the front with white letters and an atomic bomb.

"BOOMIE!"Bubbles cried.There was a trail of baby blue and suddenly she was in his arms.

"Hey baby..."He cooed gently.She had a grin the size of Texas on her face.Blossom did a quick vorpal twist in her hair, pinning her red bow in after it quickly before standing up.As she adjusted the bow, she disappeared from sight, walking right past an unnoticing couple Bubbles and Boomer and walked out the door.

Nothing.She couldn't see him.But where-

Something grabbed her around her waist.She tensed and turned around.Nothing.But it still had her in its grasp.She lost her concentration and became visible.As did her apprehender.Brick had his arms around her, his face was close to hers and he was staring.

"Hey Blossom."She let out a sigh of relief.

"Hi Brick...how did you know where I was?I was invisible too."He gave a coy smile.

"I could smell you."He bent his head, much to the silent glee of Blossom, and sniffed behind her ears (or maybe just the spot where her ears were SUPPOSED to be...)."You smell pretty."

Blossom turned a shade of sakura pink.  
"Thanks..."He looked down.He was still holding her waist.Blossom was getting all the redder.He turned crimson and quickly released her.

"Sorry..."The last traces of blush had started to fade from her cheeks as they walked back to her room; she gave an impish grin and turned back to him.

"It's okay..."She stopped so that he was still unbearably close."I don't mind."He turned bright, bright red before it faded quickly and he followed her again.

"Really?"Before this little flirt-fest could continue there was a sonic boom and a green flashes of light.Blossom looked out the window.

"Oh no..."Bubbles sighed.Boomer's eyes widened in curiosity.

"What is it?"

"Was Butch perchance coming this way also?"

"Yeah...he said he would be late..."Brick stated.Boomer nodded.Bubbles slapped her forehead.

"Great...come on, let's go."It hit the boys like a sack of potatoes.

"Oh God..." There were four blazes of light from the window.

"JERK!"A green twister went soaring towards a teenage boy with black hair levitating off the ground.He deflected it.

"I'm a JERK?!"He sent a series of forest green energy balls to her.She threw each one away like old candy.

"That's the SMARTEST thing you ever said!"Buttercup screamed and held a crackling electric green power between her hands, firing it at him.Butch held it off with a large energy force of his own.Soon his over powered hers and the green power went soaring into the sky.

"You're going to have to do better than that!"He called.His female counterpart was no where to be seen.

"But where-"POW!She kicked him over the head.He went flying but turned back around in mid air, seething.

"That was a CHEAP SHOT!"He fired again.She dodged three but the fourth grazed her.

"Not a cheap as you!"She sent a blaze of lightning at him.He apparated out of the way and appeared behind her, sending a blow to her head.She blocked it with one hand.

"Don't you know it's not nice to hit a lady?"She double-handed him and sent him soaring away but he returned instantly and slammed her hard into a residential tree.

"What lady?"

She growled, her green eyes flickering.She hovered up above the houses; in her hands a ball of electric energy cackled green.It was down to a quick draw match; next blow would win.She waited; he waited.Suddenly, she threw her arms out a fired.A pink containment bubble appeared all around her before the shot could go anywhere; the ball bounced off of the walls and spread apart, electrocuting her.On the other side of the street, the same thing happened to Butch.They both dropped to the ground, burnt, but still angry and on their feet.As soon as they landed, a ring of blue bound their arms to their sides.Buttercup whirled around.Blossom, Bubbles, Brick and Boomer were all staring at them with disapproving eyes.

She struggled under the blue energy but couldn't break free from Bubbles' rope.An evil idea came to mind; she turned and zapped Butch with her eye lasers while he wasn't paying attention.He yelped.Then she turned to her sisters and stuck her tongue out at them, before apparating out of the ring.It fizzled and disappeared.

Bubbles sighed and let Butch free.He rubbed his arm where she had hit him with her laser eyes.

"What a bi-"They glared.He sighed angrily and gritted his teeth."Beautiful young lady."The sarcasm rolled off of his tongue before he also disappeared leaving nothing but green fizzles.

"They're talking..." Brick said, hopelessly.They all sighed and flew back to the Utonium household.

When the remaining super-heroes got back, Butch was sitting on the doorstep.Inside, the music was blasting especially loud.

"What's wrong?Why didn't you just apparate inside?"Boomer asked while Blossom and Bubbles both burrowed for their keys.

"That last fight left me pretty exhausted.I could only apparate half way and had to fly the rest.The same thing must have happened to Buttercup; only she has a house key."

Bubbles checked under the door mat; the spare key was no where to be found.

"Well, she got in through the spare key but...hey, did you try knocking?"Butch gave her an exhausted look of sarcasm.

"Me?Knock?Like should would actually let me in."He leaned against the door with a slight knock, and fell backwards when Buttercup opened it.Of course Butch hit his head on the floor, while the others, tired, stepped over him and walked inside.

"Oh.You're back.I forgot you can't apparate inside."She didn't say sorry, but this was expected.

"Owww..."She cast him a highly unsympathetic glance.

"Bum..."Before he could walk inside she slammed the door on his face.

"Buttercup!"Blossom scolded.Her brunette sister sighed and threw the door open.Unfortunately, for Butch anyway, he had managed to short-distance apparate inside at the same moment.The door hit his face again.

"OOWWW!"She looked behind the door nonchalantly.

"Oh, your already inside.My mistake."Her hair whacked him across the face hard as she walked away.Butch rubbed the spot where his nose would be; it was all red and tingly.He watched with angry forest green eyes as she flew up the stairs and slammed the door to her room.He turned angrily towards the rest of them.

"How can you LIVE with her?!"

Buttercup appeared in her room and landed on her bed face up; how could they LIVE with him?!And they wanted her to like him?My god; he was lucky she didn't blow him up on the spot.

"I need to calm down..." She muttered and grabbed her guitar.She cranked the volume up on her amps considerably (from ten to seventeen) and turned the tuning knobs...

"She just attacked me for no reason!"Butch exclaimed as he sat on the couch with the Blossom, Brick, Bubbles and Boomer, who were holding their heads, his rants running through one ear and out the other."I mean-"

BBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

The remaining super-powered teenagers would have sworn they felt the house vibrating!Music was blasting from all corners of the house, centering from the green Powerpuff's room.Luckily, Blossom got a shield up pretty quick so their hearing wasn't completely off.

"Is everyone okay?"They looked a little dazed but other than that just fine.Bubbles listened intently to the rhythm of the music with her super sensitive hearing.Boomer stared with intrigue.

"Are you picking something up, Bubbles?"She blinked.

"That's Lenny Kravitz's "American Woman"." She stated matter-of-factly."But...the words that I'm hearing are different..."Blossom urged her on with her eyes.Bubbles cast a nervous glance at Butch but sighed.

"Okay..."She took a deep breath."Boy in green, you better stay away.Boy in green, listen to what I say.Don't come knocking around my door, I don't want to see you slime ball no more.Your hair is jacked up and greased with lard, can't you see that you're a retard.Now listen, you hearing what I say?Boy in Green, you better stay away..."Another deep breath."You know, if you subtract the lyrics I think she sang it pretty well."  
  


Butch's face had turned completely red. 

Boomer sighed.

"She's singing about you, man.You know she must dig you."  
  
Red...cherry red...brick red...maroon...

"I DO NOT WANT HER TO DIG ME!!!!!!"His voice blew their hair like wind.They watched as he apparated up to her door and went to give her a piece of his mind.At least, that was plan.He actually got hit by the door again when she threw it open into his face.

"Will you guys keep it down?!Geez...no consideration..."She slammed the door again, leaving a dumbfounded Butch with a red face sliding down the wall.

"You know, "Bubbles said, stroking the bottom of her face, "It might just be me, but I think we're going about this the wrong way."All she received was a bunch of sarcastic looks.

"What did I say?"

"Never mind that.We're going to have to try something different.Something more...upfront..."A devious smile formed on her face, but they were all quite keen to this look, and mirrored it…

End of Part One!  
  


MWAHAHAHA!My first PPG story!So?What do you think?Actually, I rather like it.It…intrigues me!::diabolical laughter:: ::cough:: anyway, comments?Flames?My missing Biology homework? (I know you're out there, ::dark eyes:)E-mail them all to me at [artetiegr@aol.com][1] or, preferably, review my story!Thanks!P.s. – Ten reviews ensures part 2!Thanks!Ciao! 

   [1]: mailto:artetiegr@aol.com



	2. A More Upfront Plot

Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls!

Welp, here it is.  Chapter two.  Just read on!

Love Him Not

The next day, Buttercup watched while her sisters both rushed around the house doing such and such, primping and polishing their...err...never mind.  They did and re-did their hair, make up, and anything else they could do and redo until finally they were all dazzled up and ready to go.  Buttercup gave them bored looks while she dug around in the refrigerator in the late afternoon.

            "So, where are you headed.  Not that I care."  Bubbles gave an innocent smile.

            "We're going to double date!"

            "It's too bad you're not going Buttercup..." Blossom purred out.  "We're going to this new Chili Dog place at Townsville Plaza.  It's opening tonight!"  Buttercup shut the fridge after pulling out a soda, flipping a chair around and sitting on it backwards.  Her gaze drifted momentarily to the sink, where a fork drifted over and opened the can, before casually dropping on the table.  Another one of Buttercup's new found talents was manipulating metal and general magnetism, and while her sister's had called her Magneto for a while, she blew it off with her ever casual 'get over yourselves' attitude.  She, however, frowned slightly then, and splurged her drink.

            "What are you up to?"

            "What do you mean?"  Bubbles asked with extreme innocence.  The green Powerpuff huffed.

            "Bubbles, you're a vegetarian.  And Blossom, last night you went on and on about your new diet after _Brick (this was said with extreme sarcasm) left.  Duh, like I wouldn't notice."_

            Blossom gave a haughty glance.

            "Duh, the new Chili Dog place serves all types of Chili Dogs.  You know, like diet chili dogs..."

            "And vegetarian chili dogs?"

            "You need to get out more."

            "You should come with us!"  Buttercup spit out half her soda.

            "Me...come with you guys...looking like that...in public?!"  Bubbles grabbed her arm with a cheeky smile.

            "I'm SO glad you agreed!"  Blossom grabbed her other arm and they both dragged her upstairs to the bathroom.  "But we'd better get you ready!"  The door slammed.  A scream of anguish could be heard.

"If you weren't my sisters I would blow you both sky high."  She muttered, trying desperately to adjust the skirt they somehow got her into.  A wispy green middle-sleeve shirt replaced her normal black and green baseball tee-shirt found somewhere in the back, let's be realistic, WAY BACK, of the closet.  The jean skirt replacing her baggy blue jeans was Blossom's.  The white and green Sketchers in place of her beloved black and white Converses were (she shuddered to think) hers from a long, forgotten Birthday present.  The hair clips in her normally wild and free, elbow length black hair were Bubbles'.

Butterflies...

Yuck.

"Oh Buttercup, you're so beautiful!"  Bubbles cheered and put a bracelet around her arm, more butterflies of course, which Buttercup promptly tossed into the toilet.  Bubbles scowled.  Blossom tried in vain to put on a very light shade of lipstick, which Buttercup continually wiped off.

"Just...put...it...on!"  In a sudden burst of speed, a flash of pink, and a rumble of makeup, Buttercup found herself completely done.  And the outcome...

            "Spectacular!"  Blossom and Bubbles sighed contently. 

If only it were that simple.

            "What have you done?"  She touched the foundation on her cheeks with wide, wide, WIDE green eyes.  Tears started to well up.  Luckily she wasn't wearing mascara.

She turned and looked at her beaming sisters.

"Heathens.."  She whispered, her throat gravely.  "I'm taking this stuff off RIGHT now!"

"NO!!!"  

Buttercup was instantly struggling under the grip of a light blue rope.

            "Take it off and...and..."  Begee, Buttercup's BEEBO dog, just happened to be prancing along, looking for Buttercup at the same time.  Blossom picked up the dog and held the lipstick to it.

            "Or the BEEBO gets made up!"  Buttercup's eyes flickered in treachery.  Bubbles leaned towards Blossom and whispered,

            "Don't you think this is a bit drastic, Blossom?"

            "Shhh...it's all part of my scheme."  She held the lipstick closer to the Begee with a knowing grin.

            "What's it going to be, Buttercup?  Don't make me reach for the blush."

            "Alright, you win!  Just...put Begee down."

            "Step away from the sink, sister."  Bubbles made a low, threatening whisper.  Buttercup's frowned.  She grudgingly made a step away from the beckoning bathroom sink full of water.  

            Blossom smiled and gave Begee back to its owner, who was extremely cross and yet pleased that her BEEBO puppy had not been done the injustice that had come across her.  Buttercup growled lethally at her siblings, yet patted its head affectionately and walked out of the room, followed closely by Bubbles and Blossom, who were acting along the lines of Parole Officers.

            "Go on, girl."  The green Powerpuff let Begee into the room and shut the door.  "I can't believe you threatened my BEEBO!  Of all the low things..."  

            "Professor's not home and I can't fly in this!"  Bubbles cried, motioning to the pretty light blue dress she wore, ignoring her sister's words.  

            "Oh no!  You're right!  Hey, maybe we could get Mrs. Peterson to drive us…"  

            Buttercup grabbed her blue-jean jacket and pulled it over her arms, a cross of nakedness and mortification running over her mind.  She could at least save SOME dignity.  Okay…she's got the skateboard…now if she can only get outside without anyone noticing…

            "Hold it RIGHT there, Buttercup!"  Blast!  Discovered!  Quick, make an alibi!  
  


            Buttercup tried to apparate, but Blossom was a step ahead, and before she could move a darn pink container bubble plopped around her.  Useless now, she thought sourly, putting her legs out with severe disregard for her skirt, watching Bubbles and Blossom converse outside the universe the trapped her inside.  She'd figured they had come to a decision.  Blossom waved her hand and the pink bubble, Buttercup still inside, bounced after them as they walked out of the door.

            Quite a number of people stared when Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup (still in the bubble, too sulky to break out) arrived at the Iron Magnolia House of Chili, where two of the three Rowdyruff boys waited outside.  Brick and Boomer blinked, but didn't ask questions.

            Buttercup stood up and brushed off her skirt, glaring defiantly as she walked behind her sisters, looking like a girl.  People stared.  She sat down at the table with her fellow superheroes.  People stared more.  She sulked silently while the others greeted each other.  Flies could have flown in and out of the peoples mouths and they wouldn't have noticed.  A passing waiter dropped his tray when he caught a glance at her.  Blossom and Bubbles seemed obnoxiously satisfied with this.

            "So…"  Blossom stared casually.  Buttercup glared in her general direction.  "Where's Butch?"  Blossom's spoon contorted suddenly at an odd angle.  Brick looked somewhat frightened.  Boomer worked up an answer.

            "He's ah…in the bathroom…he said he'd be-"  His fork did a nice backward bend, and Boomer said no more.  Everyone in the restaurant paled.  Bubbles was busy examining the water, and Blossom retained to be very cool.

            "Oh, here he comes now!"

            And Butch was approaching.  He nodded good-naturedly towards Blossom and Bubbles (obviously taking no notice of Buttercup unlike half of the room, which was still in mid-gawk) and went to pull out his chair.  A fork jetted past his head and pinned itself the wall behind him.  Butch scowled.  He turned his attention towards-

And everything simply stopped.

            He stared.  She glared in return.  He hardly flinched when he got hit with the dull end of a flying spoon.  He didn't waver when a butter knife smacked him in the head, or when the barrage of silverware from the empty table behind him plummeted him from above.  All Butch could do was stare.  Bubbles and Blossom tittered with glee.

            The waiter came, and the 'magic' was gone.  Everyone ordered (Butch was still staring when as he did) and there was polite conversations (minus the flying spoons) before the food came.  All Butch did was stare.  And stare.  He hardly even blinked.  Buttercup glared back.  She scowled.  She stuck her tongue out.  Hit him with spoons, forks, knives and the occasional napkin ring, but all he did was stare, stare and stare back. 

This made Buttercup horrendously angry.

            "That was great!  I love tofu chili dogs!" cheered Bubbles.  Blossom nodded in agreement.  Brick leaned back in his chair.

            "I could never be a vegetarian.  What'd bout you, Butch?" 

Butch was still staring.

            "Butch?"  For the first time in the whole hour he broke his gaze.

            "What?"

            "Could you ever be a vegetarian?" asked Blossom.

            "Uhh…no…I guess not."  The pink and blue Powerpuffs let loose a wide grin.  Bubbles pulled her purse from under the table.

            "Well, we'd better go.  Waiter!  Check!"  The waiter came to their table who, like Butch, had been staring the whole time at Buttercup.

            "It's…no…charge…"

            "Hey thanks, Mitch!"  Mitch Mitchelson nodded slowly and started to back away, staring.  Buttercup grinned at him.

            "Hey Mitch, want to go to the skate park tomorrow?"

            "Uhh…may…be…"

            "Cool!  See you tomorrow!"  Mitch dumbly nodded again and forced himself to turn around, walking away.  Butch glared at him.

            "Who's that?"  He asked sharply.

            "Mitch Mitchelson."  Said Blossom like it left a bad taste in her mouth.  "Some skater guy that Buttercup hangs out with sometimes.  He goes to our school, remember?"

"Oh yeah."  

Butch muttered.  Bubbles kissed Boomer goodbye.  Blossom and Brick blushed furiously while they talked.  Buttercup glared when Butch sort of, walked over.  

"What do you want?"  Butch, for the first time in his memory, flushed red.

"N-nothing."  Buttercup glared further, picked herself up out of the chair, and walked away.  Bubbles watched her go.  

"I think that went well."  She said to Blossom as they waved and walked out of the door.

Buttercup had apparently apparated home, because when her sisters walked through the doors the guitar was blaring again.  From within the pink bubble, Bubbles translated as No Doubt, I'm just a girl, but couldn't say the lyrics as it went against her personal morals.  Blossom frowned.

"So, what are we going to do next?"  Bubbles gave a strangely evil smile.

"I'd like to call this part…Operation Buttercup."

End of Chapter 2!  
  


::coff:: Well, it's actually coming along.  I feel tremendously special with the reviews everyone gave me! ::sniffle:: Thank you so much!  Umm…well, if you like it, you can expect Chapter 3!  Thank you!  Bye!


	3. Some Highly Strange Happenings

Disclaimer: Hmm…nope, still don't own PPG.

Yes, it is part three.  Yes, you must read on.  YAY!  
  


Love Him Not

It was sometime between the bathroom and breakfast that Buttercup's blueprints for revenge came into mind.  By no means did she have to sit and formulate, something she'd loathed for the past years of her life, but rather appeared full and complete with easy to understand, user friendly steps.  Of course, she could not let on to her plots and formulations and hence retained that dark, sullen and bitter mood she'd achieved yesterday after dinner.  

Little did the green Powerpuff know that her sisters' own plans were already in effect…

            "My _you're looking grungy today, Buttercup."  Blossom replied with her usual bite of nonchalance, not taking the time to eye her as she engrossed herself in the Townsville Times.  Buttercup cast a particularly nasty glare in her general direction and started on her usual breakfast: two frosted strawberry Pop tarts, a gargantuan bowl of Lucky Captain Rabbit King cereal with 2% milk, an English muffin with strawberry jelly and peanut butter, complete with a tall glass of cold orange juice (the ritual actually started that morning, upon seeing Blossom's breakfast of Vanilla Slim Fast and Bubbles' picking idly at a sour grapefruit).  She placed herself in her chair backwards and shoveled down her food in a way that made Bubbles wince, gulped the orange juice loudly, yawned at the table, propped her elbows onto the wood hard before letting out a glass-breaking burp.  Blossom had veins popping out of her head.  Bubbles was looking a bit green._

Buttercup gave an obnoxious grin.

            "Well, I'm off to see Mitch and the guys.  You know, skateboarding, boxing and general blood and guts.  So much to do, so little time."  She wiped her arm on the black sleeve of her baseball shirt she had worn yesterday afternoon and pranced out of the door.  Blossom looked utterly disgusted.  Bubbles gave up on the grapefruit and pushed it away.

            "Is Operation Buttercup underway yet?"  Bubbles shook her head, and smiled pleasantly, as though there were something up her sleeve.  It made Blossom downright nervous.

            "Don't worry, Blossom."  Bubbles said with her usual amount of daily cheer and skipped happily away, happily depositing her grapefruit in the trash.  The pink puff was beginning to worry about her sisters ambitions, hoping that, for even Buttercup's sake, the plot didn't involve bunnies, rainbows or crayon drawings.

            Butch was sulking.

            Now really it wasn't that he liked her.  Her being Buttercup of course, the object of his thoughts since the previous afternoon where he'd nary said a word since.  He couldn't like her of course, because it was simply impossible to like her but…well…

How _dare she._

            It was a brilliant plan on her part, he regrettably admitted.  What a way to defeat him.  Use her girlish powers not once, but twice on him in a radius of little over ten years.  A desperate and yet desperately efficient scheme that put her miles ahead in the game.  It had to be against the rules somewhere, written down in the immortal code of bitter rivals.  He'd have to search the library.  Or make that Elmer kid do it for him.  Either way…

            He'd have to get her back somehow.  He wasn't quite sure how, but it would have to be done.  One way or the other.  So really, Butch was thinking and sulking, or sulking in a pensive matter and continued on with this for some time…

Then decided to go skateboarding.  But not because he liked Buttercup or anything and wanted to see her.  He just wanted to go skateboarding.  Maybe at the skate park.  But _not because…_

You get the idea.

            Mitch Mitchelson, at the skate park since just after dawn, stared out at the vast nothingness of gray ramps and cement.  Most of the usuals hadn't arrived yet; in that dreadful silence the inner conflicts skated through his usually empty brain like first-time skaters.  Buttercup was different yesterday.  Really, he couldn't place it.  Maybe it was her hair.  Or what she ordered.  Actually (he blinked, watching a lone skater roll down the ramp in pain), when he dimly evaluated the situation, he couldn't care much less. 

 So Mitch stopped staring out at the vast nothingness, hopped on his red skateboard and decided to do a few warm-ups before Buttercup got there.

            Boomer was working on his fourth bowl of Pony Puff Sugar Lumps with Frosted Marshmallows (yes, it was feminine, but if Bubbles liked it, he liked it, and the prizes weren't half bad either).  Brick was busy counting how many jumbo marshmallows he could fit his mouth.  Butch stalked towards the door, skateboard under arm.

            "Gohin humair?"  asked the red Rowdyruff (only five more for the world record!)

            "I DON'T LIKE HER!"  Butch roared.  Boomer looked up skeptically, milk running down his chin.  Brick blinked.  Butch turned a peculiar shade of red.

            "Skate park."  He muttered, turned and closed the door.  The remaining two exchanged confounded glances.

            "I don't know who confuses me more…him or women."  Brick tended to convey.

             Mitch's attempted 1440 Grab landed in a stunning display of skin, sun and asphalt; and like the sympathetic friends he had, in his time of misfortune everybody laughed.

            "Aw, you suck Mitch!"  Buttercup snickered as he surfed past her with a 'phef'.  

            "Duh, yeah!  Where your 'Duh, I'm da king of the skate-park now?'  Ha-ha-ha!"  Floyd, one of the two twins, guffawed with his identical pair.  Floyd and Lloyd hadn't been the sharpest tool in the shed during the Pokey Oak Kindergarten days; eleven years later their attics still needed dusting.

            "Watch this Mr. King of the Skate Park!"  The green Powerpuff glided down into the pit, starting first with a 180 fakey and a kick flip.  In the center of the pit she stopped, one foot weighing down the left end of her board.

            "GREEN WHIRLY!"  She screamed to Lloyd and Floyd's cheers.  Giving the high end a hard kick she started to spin wildly, creating a blazing green vortex of energy.  From the top of the wide-base Buttercup bounced out, soaring towards rim.

            "YAHOO!"  She bellowed, wheeling down the steep wall, black hair blowing in the wind as she bowed to the numerous applauds of the skaters around her.  

            "Man, I never get tired of that!"  Lloyd declared as he watched Buttercup surf in circles around the bottom.  Mitch rolled his eyes.

            "As if we hadn't seen that one a million times!"  He shouted in her general direction.  Buttercup threw a raspberry.

            "Alright then, watch this one!"  With one push she went flying towards the farthest wall, leaving a faint streak of energy behind her.  Her board launched high from the speed; the skater's oohed as she conceded to the feats of gravity and started her spiral descent.  Just as she was about to do her new combination spins, she heard something that distracted her crucial concentration.

            "BBBBBUUUUUUUTTTTEEEERRRRCCCUUPPPPPP…!"

Hence, Buttercup wobbled and fell backwards, launching the green skateboard high above her; falling, falling, falling; of course her super-heroine instinct kicked in before she hit the ground.  The skateboard however, hit her smack over the head with a satisfying 'thump', loosening her concentration once more and sent her crashing into the asphalt.

            "Ha-Ha-"  Lloyd cackled, silenced by Mitch who, with a flick of his wrist, knocked him in the back of the head.

            Buttercup rubbed her skull where her board so effortlessly careened from, the confused blinking becoming a pointed glare.  Tommy Sweet, blonde and strangely obsessive, leaned over the edge, a huge bouquet of flowers and an equally big box of candy under either arm.

            "Buttercup, my love!  Are you okay?"  With a darkening mood, she staggered to her feet, wobbled, then fell back again.  Tommy shrieked, dropping his parcels to the cemented ground.

            "No!  NO!  Don't try!  I will help you, darling!"  He slid down the wall with his blonde hair flying behind him, blue eyes wide with melodramatic concern.  Mitch, Floyd and Lloyd, all on their boards, blocked his achieving Buttercup.

            "Listen Pretty Boy,"  Mitch snapped from his position in front of the lovelorn townie, "Step off.  We dislike your attention."

            "Yeah." Lloyd agreed.

            "Duh, yeah."  Floyd seconded him.

            "Out of my way."  Buttercup pushed Mitch to the side, causing him to flop into Floyd.

            "Buttercup, my love!  My only!"  Tommy cried, and threw his arms around her.  Buttercup promptly threw him a couple of feet away.

            "How many times do I have to tell you Tommy?!  Don't-"  And in that very instant there was a streak of dark green where Tommy once stood.  Everyone made the 90 degree turn to see poor Tommy Sweet ducked and flinched to the closely missing punches of Butch.

            "Wahhh!"  Tommy cried, covering his head and desperately dodging Butch's powerful fists, marked by the cracks they left in the wall surface.

            "And if you ever, ever make a move on Buttercup again I swear I'll-"

WHAP!  
  


            Butch was tasting the bitter sting of asphalt through his teeth.

            "What in the heck do you think you're doing?!"  Buttercups shrieked, standing near Tommy who was once shrunk against the wall but now clung to her leg in tears.

            "Buttercup, dearest you've saved me!"  But she didn't filter a word he said, perfectly ignoring him in everyway.

            "If anyone is going to beat up Tommy Sweet it's me!"  Tommy looked up in shock.

            "Is that all my love means to yoooooooouuuuuu…"  Buttercup had kicked him away, sending him sliding along the pit basin back to where Mitch, Lloyd and Floyd watched with anticipation.  The green Powerpuff then raised her fists and flew, as second nature, towards Butch's surprised and on looking head.

            Everyone in the skate park watched as the two blurred into green streaks, rising out of the fighting area by a couple feet or so.  Buttercup kicked.  She whirled.  She punched and threw.  Butch defended and blocked her in everyway possible.  He dodged.  He spun.  He turned and snapped.  Buttercup flipped back after he spun from her direction, leaving her wide open to attack.  Butch charged naturally, his arm raised for a sure-victory blow to the head…

And for the first time in his entire fighting career hesitated to punch.

            In that split second Buttercup predicted the outcome and twisted his arm, hurling him back to the basin of the trick-pit with a crash.  She landed a slightly from his position, breathing hard, her wild black hair thrown gently askew.

            Butch warbled, dazed as he pulled himself to his feet.  Buttercup snapped to attention, raising her fists quickly but then-

            "Stop…"  Butch uttered sharply, raising his hand as he himself panted, "You win, Buttercup."

Everyone gapped.  Even Buttercup.

             Her already large green eyes widened.

            "What…?"  

            "I said…"  Butch gulped.  What was he saying anyway?  "I said…you win.  No more fighting."  

            Buttercup swayed dangerously as Mitch, Tommy, Lloyd and Floyd bounded up to her side like rambunctious puppies.

            "Duh, that was a nice one Buttercup!"  Floyd praised happily, holding her fallen skateboard.

            "Alright!  One for the B-cup!"  Mitch cheered.  

"You were magnificent, darling!"  Tommy cried, hugging her arm tightly.

Buttercup's knees buckled slightly, but she caught herself.

            "I…ah…"  She took a look at Butch, who had turned away, and was still breathing roughly.  "I don't feel so good…"  And she didn't really.  Her stomach had dropped slightly, and gurgled in her ears.  She was feeling weak; different, distraught.  Her vision was spinning even.

            "I'm gonna hit the road…I'll see you guys later…"  She stepped from their grasp and flew up to the edge of the pit.  Her board pulled from Floyd's arms and landed before her, where she eased out of the park and skated down the street.

            Once more, everyone was in a state of shock.  Where was the 'yeah, I kick butt don't I' attitude that accompanied Buttercup everywhere at all times?  Mitch decided that Buttercup had been acting strange since yesterday.  First her odd…girlishness and then her loss of attitude.  Lloyd spoke for everyone when he said,

            "That was…weird."  They turned to see Butch, but he to was already gone.  And after that afternoon adventure, no one really felt like skateboarding anymore.

            When Bubbles heard Buttercup enter the Utonium household she galloped upstairs, giggling wildly, obviously holding 'Operation Buttercup' behind her back.  The blue Powerpuff gently pushed open the oddly unlocked door to her sister's room, shaking a little green and black action figure at her.

            "Buttercup…"  She chirped sweetly.  Her smile faltered softly into a face of concern.  "Are you okay?"  She squeaked in a tiny voice.

            Buttercup looked up slowly, almost tiredly, and stopped from strumming her guitar softly along the tune of The Space Between.

            "Huh…uh…yeah, I'm fine."  Then instead of grimacing at the little Butch doll in her sister's hand or yelling for not knocking she went back to stroking the guitar.

Bubbles stared for a moment.

            "BBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!"

End of Part 3

            Hopes you're not all mad at this quasi-cliffhanger…more on chapter 4!  GOMEN FOR REVIEWING!  ~ Arte-Chan


	4. The Secret Plot Exposed

Disclaimer: Don't own PPG.

Nothing here to say but that you asked for it.  Part 4 coming your way with an extra helping of comedy sauce!  Read on!  
  


Love Him Not

Blossom blinked uncharacteristically, actually at a loss for words.

            "'Operation Buttercup' was a doll?"  She asked her sister Bubbles in the midst of her hideously pink room.  Bubbles was practically tearing her blonde pony-tails out.

            "Are. You. Even. LISTENING?!"  She shrilled, her voice almost reaching that pitch in which windows break.

            "Bubbles…" Blossom trailed off softly, shaking her head.  "I think you're overreacting."  

Bubbles twitched once…twice…

            "I'm…OVERRACTING?!"  In a blaze of blue and pink the two Powerpuff girls found themselves outside of their sister's bed chamber.

            "Go ahead Blossom."  Bubbles snapped, motioning to the door.  Blossom took a deep breath and peeked inside.

And blinked.

And stared.

And again, there was that unusual absence of opinion.

            Blossom pulled away from the door and shut it softly.  When she didn't say anything, Bubbles nodded triumphantly.

            So having nothing else to say, they hovered off to Blossom's room, curious but really too confused to implore the situation further. 

            "YOU DID WHAT?!"  Boomer and Brick piled on top of each other, either's eyes as wide as the Mayor's favorite jar of pickles.  Butch, with his eyes closed and his arm crossed, sat on the boys' raggedy denim couch, wearing his most appropriate scowl.

            "I gave up.  Let the brat have her way.  It shut her up faster."  Boomer slapped a hand over Butch's forehead, whereas he flung his arm away with equal force.

            "Stat!"  Brick cried.

            "Reactions normal."  Boomer muttered, leaning in to examine his face closer.  "Say 'Ahhh'…"

            "Get the heck away from me!"  Butch protested and shoved himself further down the couch.

            "Mind seems to be in order.  No signs of temporary insanity."  Boomer stated in a very professional manner.

            "Will a physical examination be needed?"  Brick asked, genuinely worried, though the glint of mischief quivering at his mouth proved otherwise.

            "Only a minor treatment.  CLEAR!"  Brick and Boomer smacked him securely over the head, first once, then twice for good measure.

            "Where's Butch and what has she done with him?"  Brick shouted in one ear.

            "Yeah," rallied Boomer, "Bubbles may be my girlfriend nobody's sister gets my brother stoned, man!"

            "Drop it, would you?!"  Butch pushed them roughly away, and in a blaze of green energy the door down the hall violently slapped shut.  On the other side of the room, the boys stared.  

            "We've got to talk to the girls about this.  Things are getting out of hand."

            "Word."

            Blossom and Bubbles were still in the former state of pensive silence when the phone rang later that evening.  Bubbles, being closest to the phone, picked it up with a very neutral voice.

            "Hello?"

            "Bubbles, my love."  
            "BOOMIE!"  She squealed, knocking Blossom from her train of thought.  "I was hoping you'd call today!  I missed you."

On the other side of the line, Boomer got sort of a smitten look.

            "I missed you too, love.  It seems like forever."

            "Forever and ever.  It's almost been…twenty-four hours since I've seen you!"

            "I was thinking about you all day."

            "Oh, I was thinking about you too, Boom-Boom!"

            "I missed you, love!"  
            "I missed you too!"  
            "I missed you like the moon misses the stars!  Like the deserts miss the rain!  Like-"  

There was a thump then on the other line, some assorted yelling, selective words and a comment that made Bubbles go red, before Brick picked up the phone and Boomer could be heard 'oww'ing in the background.  

"Bubbles!"  He ordered sharply, "Buttercup!  Butch!  Talk!  Now!"  Bubbles' lip trembled, just before…

"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

On the opposite side of the line, Brick winced.

"Bubbles…No, no…don't cry…please…"  The red Rowdyruff looked over.  Boomer was glaring daggers into every available point in his body, and had flushed a deep, riled red.

"You made her cry."  

Brick laughed nervously.

            "It was an…uh…accident?"

            Blossom seemed to have regained her senses.  She blinked.  Bubbles was whimpering terribly, the phone settled between her hands in her lap, drenching it with large, dramatic tears.  How had she managed to miss all the commotion?

            "Bubbles?"  More whimpering.  Blossom sighed, prying the phone from Bubbles and patting her blonde hair.

            "Hello?  Boys?  Brick?  Boomer?"  Blossom asked.  There was sounds of a faint struggle, and pink Powerpuff heard of a distinctive 'oooooooowwwwwwwwwwww cough-cough sputter' in the background.

"Hello?  HEEEELLLLOOOOOO?"

"Huh?"  The voice sounded as though it were being throttled around the neck – the voice was too gravelly for Blossom to tell whether it was Brick or Boomer, but decided against inquiring.

"Listen, meet Bubbles and I at the Townsville Plaza in front of the Ozzy's Ice Palace."  She paused, waiting for a response, but only heard raspy breathing, quiet fighting, and Bubbles' whimpering beside her.  "We'll…get to the bottom of this whole Buttercup Butch situation and, when we've figured this all out, they'll be all over each other in a matter of seconds."

There was still no reply.  

            "Bye then."  Blossom hung up the phone.  Bubbles, who was sniveling on her bedside, wiped her eyes.

            "What did they say?"

            "Not much…"  Blossom stated.

Butch frowned, and returned the receiver to its hook.

            Somehow he couldn't be terribly surprised –his brother would go to the ultimate low, setting him up with his sworn rival and enemy for the sake of their prissy-prissy girlfriends.  He growled.  And to think it was going to share the pizza he was about to order with them!

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."  It wasn't really a desperate matter exactly, but it did seem the most appropriate thing to say.  Butch burrowed through his closet and pulled out a wrinkled trench coat (the sunglasses were still in the pocket, and one of the lens was slightly cracked but he'd have to make do) and pulled it on in slow motion.  If he had any manly pride at all, he would have to out smart his brothers at their own twisted game.  He smiled deviously.  It might be fun.  And as far as partnership…

Butch knew just where to start.

The other two Rowdyruff boys were breathing hard in the other room.  Boomer looked a bit dizzy as he moved to pick up the phone.

"Bubbles?  Bubbles?  Crap, she hung up!"  In a blaze of blue energy, the phone was chucked across the hall way.

"She probably hates me now…"  He whimpered slightly, then his face suddenly hardened.  The blue ruff-boy snapped his attention to that of Brick, who freezed from getting up like a deer in headlights.

"AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"  An blazing blast of blue energy blew the left wall of Brick's room onto the lawn, and his poster of Carmela Electric sizzled.

"CARMELA!"  Brick cried.  He glared viciously.

"NOBODY sizzles CARMELA!"  Another brawl broke out, and the two boys were so preoccupied with all out war that neither noticed the black-garbed figure swiftly flying uptown.

Buttercup finally felt finished with her whole 'sad-moppy-misunderstand' feeling and had grunged away into a more angry, bitter genre of music (CUT MY HEART INTO PIECES!  THIS IS MY LAST RESORT!) when a knock came on possibly the only space of her walls not wallpapered with posters.  The last strum came out an awkward combination of notes.  Butch the green ruff-jerk was attempting to wave her out of the house.

Buttercup blinked.

            FWOOOSH!  They were suddenly out on the lawn, Buttercup straddled over his chest, punching the living daylights out of his face.

            "TAKE THAT!  AND THAT!  AND THAT!"

            "HEY! (punch) STOP (punch) I HAVE TO (punch-punch)…JUST STOP FOR A SECOND!"  Buttercup came to a screeching halt.  Butch breathed roughly, his head fell back onto the springy grass.

            "Your sisters are concocting some…evil, horrific plot to make me want to…"  He struggled the words out of his mouth, "date you, and vice versa."  Buttercup stared down on him incredulously.

An awkward pause.

            "TAKE THAT!  AND THAT!  AND THIS!  AND THAT!"  Buttercup ceased from punching him and throttled his neck instead.  "WHY THE HELL WOULD THEY DO THAT?!"

            "SO THEY COULD LIVE AS ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY!"  Buttercup discontinued once more.  It all made sense…the pictures, the hijacking, the scheming and secret phone calls…she could count them off her fingers if she had any.  She could barely bring herself to admit it but…the ruff-jerk may have actually been…

Right.

            Buttercup took advantage of the fact that her hands were still around his neck.

            "Alright you…I-"  Blossom and Bubbles could be heard approaching the door.  Buttercup jumped away from the Rowdyruff.

            "We'll talk in my room.  Quick!"  They apparated away, just as the pink and blue Powerpuff girls were strolling out of the door.

            "Come on Bubbles!  We've got to get to the Plaza."

            "Coming!"  In a blaze of pink and blue, the girls were zooming into the city of Townsville.

            "Stand here."  Buttercup growled as she walked past Butch, "And don't.  Touch.  ANYTHING."  She flopped onto her bed, pushing her thick raven hair behind her shoulder.

            "Alright.  What the heck is going on?"  Butch crossed his arms.

            "Brick, Boomer, Bubbles and Blossom are thinking up some hideous plot to possibly get me and you into thinking of each other as anything more than…"

            "Bitter rivals and enemies."  Buttercup supplied.

            "Right."

            "Impossible."  The green Powerpuff snapped.  "Never in this lifetime."  Butch shrugged sketchily.

            "Right, though my charm is very hard to resist."

            "You're pushing it."  Buttercup hissed.

            "Whatever…"  The ruff-boy paused, "Can I sit down or something?"

Buttercup glared.  So Butch cleared his throat, feeling very strategic indeed, and continued.

            "Anyway…my guess is that it was the girls' idea and the boys are just along for the ride."

            "And the undoubted brownie points."  Buttercup mumbled, more to herself.

            "Exactly."

She uncrossed her legs and scooted to the edge of her bed, leaning her elbows on her knees.

            "So, supposing I actually believed your pathetic story…what are we supposed to do about it?"

            "We'll just have to outsmart them at their own vile scheme."

            "But how…"  
  


The inquisitive silence lasted for a good number of minutes.

            Then, the two of them looked strangely enlightened.

            "Are you thinking…what I'm thinking?"  Buttercup grinned in his presence for the first time in a long time.

            "Somehow, I think we're staring into the same light."

            "And tomorrow…Butch's Grand Master Plan begins-"

            "Ah…don't you mean _Buttercup's Grand Master Plan?"_

            "Buttercup?"

            "Did I stutter?"

            "Why would we have a wussy name like that?"

            "WUSSY?!"  
            "Did _I stutter?"_

            "Jerk!"  
            "Brat!"

            "You're an idiot!"

            "So are you!"

            "Fine." 

"Fine!"

"FINE!"  There was a moment of sulking.

            "We'll just call it The Plan."

            "That's cool too."

            The future had chaos written all over it.

End of Part IV!

            Another quasi-cliffhanger.  Many apologies, but I did get part four out!  So?  How is this fiction progressing?  .::Arte-chan is a bit hyper::.  Comments?  Flames?  Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars with Multi-colored sprinkles and marshmallow bits?  HOT DOG!

Uh…yeah, sorry about that. -_-;;

            Many thanks for reading. .::bows graciously::.


	5. Makings for More Disaster

Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls!  
  
Part FIVE!  HOT DIGGITY DOG!  Read on!

Love Him Not

            "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  YOU CHEATED!"

            The green puff and ruff had decided to use the Risk board as a strategy map of where and when for 'The Plan', but in a strange twist of events ended up playing the game instead.  Butch crossed his arms smugly as Buttercup ranted about being trapped in Australia –again—by the same strategic moves for the past three times.

            "Don't be a sore loser, Butter-puff.  If you can't make the cut, let go of the scissors.  Winning is a man's job."

Buttercup glared.

            "Alright then, MAN,"  She pulled a deck of cards from under her bed and slapped it in the middle of her sheets.  "If you really are one, then you're not afraid to play a MAN'S game!"

            "Call it then.  I'll take you on."  Butch crossed his legs at the end of her bed and raised his nose to the ceiling.  "Old Maid?  Go Fish?"

Buttercup snagged a visor and flipped it backwards.

            "Poker."  She grinned smugly, "Deuces wild."

            Blossom began to suspect something was out of order when neither of the boys showed up at the Ice Palace.  Or perhaps it was when she felt no urge to see to the minor problem in the downtown Townsville district where the boys lived.  Something about a big fight…for once, she really didn't care.  Blossom took a second bite of her melted frozen yogurt.  She was determined to sort out this mess between the green Powerpuff and Rowdyruff's strange behavior.

            Bubbles murmured then, drawing Blossom sharply out of her train of thought.

            "Is Boomie here yet?"  She rubbed her eyes, clearing her head of the nice little nap she'd just finished in the afternoon sun.  Her sister shook her head.

            "I think something happened.  I'm not quite sure why…maybe they went to see the commotion downtown."  Bubbles whimpered, but nodded.

            "Let's go home, Blossom."  

            Boomer awoke to the smell of smoke and mass destruction.  There were a couple of concern townspeople leaning over him, and he realized he was on the grass of what used to be their front lawn.

            "That's right officer."  Someone was saying.  He winced.  Here it comes…  "The monster was so fast we couldn't even see him!  The boys were battling it out so fierce it looked like they were shooting at each other!"

            "You don't say," replied the officer, "well that's some amazing tale.  It just goes to show you to what feats your protection squad will go to."

            "Why I'll say!"  A random female voice interjected, "those boys took quite a beating protecting us!"  The crowd started to rally.  And, before Boomer knew it, the townspeople had voted to rename the street RRB Avenue, and their pictures were going to be on the front page of Townsville Daily the next morning.  There were even no complaints about the damage; Boomer suspected that they were so used to rebuilding their houses anyway, mass destruction was simply old news.

He sighed.  You had to love Townsville.

***

            "What's that?  A straight flush?"  Buttercup cheered as she pulled her winnings to her side of the bed.  Winnings that included twenty dollars, a pack of Juicy Fruit gum, a candy bar and Butch's favorite shirt.  The green Rowdyruff fell backwards in anguish.

            "Oh, poor Butchie-poo, it's not your lucky day, is it?"  
            "The cards are rigged."  He muttered.  Buttercup stuck her tongue out and put her earnings in a pile.  "Don't be a sore loser."

Butch narrowed his eyes in dark curiosity.

            "You're not going to _wear my shirt, are you?"  Buttercup snorted._

            "Number one, it's not your shirt.  Number two, I wouldn't wear this stinky old thing if it granted me access to a skate park on Mars."  

Butch frowned indignantly.  It wasn't old.

            "I'm going to frame it, instead."  She said with a proud, starry-like voice.  "And it will symbolize exactly how much better I am than you."  Then she leaned in very close and squealed, "HAH!"

Buttercup heard the door click downstairs and jumped back.  Butch must have heard it too.  They frowned deeply.

            "Professor's sleep in his lab," Buttercup whispered, "So the girls must be home!"  She quietly hovered to the window, and just as she feared, Blossom was entering the house.  To make matters worse, the neighbor girl next door had stopped Bubbles and they were talking, so apparating to the front yard was out of the question.

            "What happens now?"  Butch asked urgently.

            "Buttercup!  We're home!"  Blossom called from downstairs.  Her footsteps echoed as she walked up the stairs.

            "Quick!"  Buttercup near-screamed in a whisper and grabbed him by the collar.

            "Buttercup?"  Blossom opened the door to her sister's bedroom quietly.  Buttercup was flipping through a deck of cards.  She was also seated on a giant pile of dirty clothing comfortably hidden out of site under her green bedspread.  Blossom crossed her arms, faintly resembling a picture Buttercup remembered seeing long ago, of the old women who lived in the shoe.

            "I'm going to go take a shower."  Blossom stated, lingering for a moment longer.  Buttercup nodded fervently, "Okay."  They waited for the silence to ebb.  It didn't.

            "Is that your shirt?"  Blossom inquired, pointing to her sister's pile of things beside her.  Buttercup choked quickly but nodded.

            "Looks diseased." Blossom commented with distain, feeling a mite more like herself, "You should wash it before it crawls into Bubbles room like last time."  Buttercup squirmed slightly and tipped backwards before catching herself with her hands.

            "Alright, you don't have to mother me."  Blossom turned and closed the door, and the green Powerpuff didn't lurch until well after she heard the shower running.  She hovered upward while Butch crawled out from under her comforter, his face tinged a slight bluish color.

            "Come on,"  She whispered, and grabbed the collar of his undershirt, "Let's go."

            Buttercup peeked out carefully, then fully left her room.  The ghost was clear.

            "Hurry up-"

            "Buttercup!"  Buttercup slammed the door hard on Butch's face.  He whined.  Buttercup choked again, but it came out in a straggling laugh.

            "Ooh, sorry Begee!"  Blossom stared at her curiously, a towel wrapped around her.  If she hadn't been so mentally exhausted she might have nosed her way into the room, as she still suspected something wasn't right, but the need to feel hot water was simply too much to really delay.

            "I just wanted to ask if you borrowed my Alanis Morrisette CD."

            "Oh, nope.  That was Bubbles.  Heard her blasting it last night before bed.  Like I'd actually listen to Alanis Morrisette, I mean…who is she?  I dunno."

Blossom gave her a seriously suspicious look, but defied the laws of nature and nodded.

            "Thanks."  She closed the door to the bathroom.  Without another moment of hesitation Buttercup grabbed Butch's arm and dragged him downstairs.  She took an expert moment to scout the dilemma outside –Bubbles was still deep in conversation with the neighbor girl.

            "Alright."  She stated strategically in whisper.  "Apparate into those bushes right near the front door.  I'll go outside and distract them.  In that moment, you apparate into the tree.  I drag Bubbles inside.  Wait until the neighbor girl turns her back and then get your butt home before anyone on the street notices."  Butch was a bit dumbfounded by her strangely efficient seeming tactics, and started to question exactly why she was fooled by the same ploy three times in Risk.

            "Uh…right.  Hey…"  The green ruff-boy paused, despite her urging on.  "Should we put 'Step One' of 'The Plan'…"  She seemed to consider this for less than half a moment.

"I'll call you at midnight.  Now GO!"  He disappeared in a fizzle of green light.

            Waiting in the bushes, Butch had started to wonder why he didn't just apparate from the window in the very first place.  Buttercup's strategy, however, was already in action.  She opened the door quickly, her elbow-length black hair swinging hypnotically from side to side.

            "Oh, hello Buttercup!"

            "Neighbor girl, how's it been going?"  
  


            Taking the opportunity she'd presented him with, he apparated carefully into a neighboring tree.  Buttercup glanced sideways, as if judging whether or not he'd been given enough time.

            "Bubbles, it's your turn to make dinner tonight.  We'd better get heading inside."

            "Right!  Bye!"

            "Later Neighbor Girl!"

            "Goodbye Bubbles!  Bye Buttercup!"  Neighbor girl turned her back.  Then Butch high-tailed it out of the tree and into the sky, towards downtown Townsville.

            Bubbles morosely attempted dinner but, as she had never really been one for cooking, decided to order a pizza instead.  But then, she sniveled, pizza reminded her of Boomer.  Chinese would be good…

But it reminded her of the noodles they would share.

            The blue Powerpuff girl slipped into a chair and flopped down –she thought for sure that, since Boomer hadn't showed up at the Ice Palace and he never, EVER missed the opportunity to see her before, she must have done something terribly wrong so that he'd never want to see her face again.  He probably didn't like her anymore!  Bubbles sniffled miserably again.  If only she could see him sometime and apologize…

That was it!

            Bubbles smiled brilliantly.  She could see Boomer in the middle of the night, when no one was awake and come back after she'd apologized!  It was perfect!  The blue puff made a pact with herself to go and see her beloved…tonight!

            Blossom rubbed the sunflower shampoo into her hair thoroughly –the steam was clearing her head, and her gears started to turn sharper.  The entire situation, she had completely decided, was dangerous to the plot.  She just HAD to figure out what had happened.  And, truth be told, though she blushed slightly, she was positive Brick would know the answers.  He was fairly no nonsense about these things, she told herself.  She and Bubbles should call…then she remembered Bubbles.

            Her dear sister was completely depressed about the earlier set date.  She decided not to drag Bubbles into the plot for a while, at least until she had returned to her normal, happy, bouncy self.  And, since her curiosity wouldn't have been able to wait much longer anyway, she decided she would drop by the boy's house that night.  It shouldn't be too hard, she concluded, going over a brief, efficient strategy in her head.  A simple tactical matter of opening a window to Brick's room and having him explain the story.  She blushed at the thought, though she didn't know why, and started to rinse the shampoo.  Yes, tonight would be…most suitable.

            Buttercup fidgeted in her room carefully, obviously impatient with the non-coming of midnight.  Not, she reprimanded herself, that she was anxious to talk to the ruff-jerk in the first place, because she wasn't.  But it was rather that she was eager to use their fool-proof plan to finally outsmart her goody-goody sisters.  She sighed.  It really was fool-proof.  The green Powerpuff sighed suddenly again.  But nothing could be done until midnight was there, and she didn't trust herself to fall asleep for fear of not waking up until it was too late.  Buttercup fingered the phone in her room.  Just calling, she told herself convincingly, then hanging up before anyone can ask is fine.

            She dialed the phone number.

            "Beep!  We're sorry, this line has been disconnected in a recent monster attack.  Please hang up, and don't call back –the line won't be connected for another two weeks .  Thank you for using Townsville phone service.  Connecting townsfolk instantly the world over.  Beep!"  Buttercup frowned immediately.  How were they going to discuss 'The Plan'.  There was a sudden dread in her stomach –the plan, they had already decided, would all come together on Saturday.  It was Thursday now, and she presumed it might take a few days to get that far…Buttercup found herself worrying for little less than the tenth time in her life.

            She sighed loudly and fell backwards.  I'll just have go over there then.

She convinced herself that the sake of 'The Plan' was riding on it.  Not, she reprimanded herself sharply again, because you're anxious to see the Ruff Jerk, but simply because you've been waiting to outsmart Blossom at her own game for too long.  Buttercup smiled almost gleefully.  After tonight, the fire would be getting started.

End of Part Five

Ooh…cliffhanger, in a strange sort of way.  I'm sorry.  But I'm tired, though I however felt compelled to post the next chapter 'today'.  Actually, it's tomorrow now but…well anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  The sparks will really start to fly in the next few…though they might not be the kind you're expecting…

--Artemis


	6. A Secret Meeting Held

Disclaimer: I don't own PPG or anything related. …  Unfortunately.

Love Him Not

Butch checked his watch again.  And sighed.

            He had come home to find that his home had been set victim to 'an invisible monster, valiantly defeated by the efforts of his brothers'.  A likely story he wasn't willing to argue with, mind you, and the boys were neatly rewrapped, packaged, and deposited at a neighbor's house with some extra 'living space'.  The room was generously described as being bigger than a small bathroom and smaller than a large closet.  The fact that the boys were sharing one blanket and two pillows was not lightening the matter.  And Butch had only just realized that Buttercup would be calling a dead-line should she actually try and call.

And he wasn't willing to venture to the Utonium household again, especially with her sisters home.

And he really didn't have any other choice.

            So at eleven forty-five and thirteen seconds at night he quietly hovered out of the quilted blanket, away from his snoring brothers, and out of the pea-sized window towards Uptown Pokey Oaks, but not before donning his trench coat.  Casually Butch wrestled through is pockets for his sunglasses (unnecessary but certainly very cool), leaving the rest of his coat inhabitants (wrappers, chewing gum, a bent fork, a broken pen cap and a key) on the floor before exiting the house.

----

            The odds of three distinct people, three super heroine sisters no less, to arrive at the exact same point at the exact same planned time though, for various reasons, were to say the least slimmer than any one person could reduce to after three year of fasting.  It would have taken Blossom less than three seconds to determine the exact number in her head.

If only she'd actually believed it could happen.

            The girls all hard their own distinct ways of knowledge.  While Blossom's was based on hardcore intellect, Bubbles was based on a strong intuition, a profound hunch that she never, ever took for granted.  

Unless, of course, she's broken-hearted and melancholy over the potential loss of the love of her life.  

As far as Buttercup, she was good about motives, and could tell when her sisters were up to something, usually because she was behind it herself.  But it just so happened the Buttercup was no less suspicious than she had always been, and it wasn't until eleven fifty at night that she realized her once non-complicated plan could actually go a stray.

            Buttercup had managed to wear a rather cool looking ensemble, involving a black short sleeve tee-shirt and black jeans with her hair tied in a tight, low ponytail.  It was only eleven forty-three and she had just finished packing the supplies when her supersonic hearing picked up a very quiet squeak.  

Floorboard squeaks, to be precise.  From the room next to hers, to be exact.

            "And if I know my sisters," Buttercup thought to herself, leaning carefully near the door to listen as the sound of someone quietly flying down the stairs was silently heard, "Something is more wrong than usual."

            At eleven forty-four another sister exited through her window.  Buttercup watched as her pink Powerpuff sister zoomed towards downtown.  Buttercup frowned indignantly.  Both had left in her predetermined direction.  So, using her better judgment, she decided to fly to Ruff-Jerk's house rather than apparate and avoid unnecessary complications incase her sisters reached the destination first.  Buttercup apparated quickly outside, neglecting the near midnight air and jetted into the air, keeping higher than the speck that was Blossom in the near-distance.

----

            At this time, Boomer grunted and rolled to the left, unintentionally jamming his elbow into Brick's jaw.  Brick snorted loudly in protest, but never did quite manage to close his mouth again, and started to drool on one of the two pillows.  However, neither of them awoke.

(A/N: -bows- Ahem.  I had to add this little blurb of information so the boys wouldn't feel neglected.  We apologize for the inconvenience. -bows-)

----

            Bubbles shivered slightly, but hope kept the rest of her warm.  She was, after all, only wearing a thin blue nightgown and fuzzy hamster slippers (they looked like Hamtaro, though this has no significance as of late), having forgotten a coat in all the fluster of a midnight rendezvous with her lover!

            She blushed lightly, imagining Blossom's voice saying 'the term rendezvous is out of context when the partner by which one is meeting is not aware of the set time or place, as an example Répondez S'il Vous Plaît, or RSVP, which would imply a sort of _awareness_ of arrival rather than an actual surprise.'  

Despite herself, she glowed that she could remember all that.  Not that she understood a word of it.

But she and Boomer were almost lovers.  Again, Bubbles blushed.  Lovers in the night!

Feeling a bit lightheaded, Bubbles forced herself to land on top of a cloud quickly and catch her breath.  It was then that she caught something in the corner of her eye, moving swiftly into town.  Her blue eyes squinted, following the flying figure across the lower sky.

"Blossom?"  She asked herself thoughtfully, watching her sister hover slow and finally land on top of the City Hall a couple of miles away.  Had she been tailing behind her the whole time?  Curiosity killed the cat, she could hear Blossom reprimanding.

"But I'm not a cat…"  With a blaze of blue light she darted down as well.

----

Blossom had gotten the distinct feeling she'd been being followed.  Professor often referred to this as 'Puff Sense', and she really thought he didn't mean anything serious by it, but perhaps she had started to acquire it as her newest ability.  She chose not to think of it just then, and allowed herself to hide in the shadow of the slowly passing clouds.  The air was particularly cold that evening.

"It's a good thing I wore a sweater, otherwise I'd be freezing."

"You…You ain't just whistling Dixie, sister!"  Blossom gasped and looked up, to see her sister hovering over her head in her night gown.

"Bubbles?"

"You didn't tell me you were leaving."  The blue Powerpuff pouted for a moment, then settled beside her.  Blossom frowned.

"So it was you who were following me!"  But Bubbles wasn't paying the necessary attention.  Blossom suddenly started to feel guilty –leaving the house without even dropping a note to Bubbles at least, and here her sister had followed her and was freezing cold because of it.

Bubbles felt a pang of guilt in her stomach, feeling she should have told Blossom where she was going before she went out in the middle of the night.  Could she have been looking for her?  Bubbles shuddered to think.

"So…"  Blossom trailed off, losing the nerve to question Bubbles and make her feel worse.

"So…"  Answered Bubbles for the same reason.

They sat in silence for a long while.

----

Two black spots flew high through the sky.  Two black spots bumped into each other with a crash.  Two black spots cursed at each other…then paused.

            "Butch?"  Buttercup whispered wildly.

            "Buttercup?!" He exclaimed with equal astonishment.  Buttercup whipped her hair over her shoulder.  "This makes things less complicated."

            She briefly outlined the current predicament, while Butch had settled on a cloud in pensive thought.  And when she was finished, he had decided the most appropriate course of action.

            "Let them meet each other."  

            "Then when we meet them," Buttercup agreed thoughtfully, "we can listen for any _startling_ (she said this with extreme sarcasm) new ideas."

            "Right."  And then, Butch smiled a charming, if not rather sadistic, smile.  Buttercup had the oddest sensation.  

She wanted to punch him.

            Instead, she suppressed the violent tendency and said,  
            "Then let's go!  We'll get their faster if we apparate."

They slapped hands (…?) and, in a fizzle of green sparkles and twirls, disappeared.

----

            Blossom cleared her throat.

            "I was just going to see Brick…and Boomer."

Bubbles' quiet face lit up brilliantly.  Blossom felt a tinge of relief.

            "So let's go, and we'll all talk together."  Bubbles jumped to her feet.

            "Okay!"

The two Powerpuffs sped into the night.

----

            Boomer rolled over onto his stomach, clutching his pillow tightly.  He murmured,

            "Bubbles' thighs…"

However it was mostly inaudible with Brick's snoring.

----

            Buttercup had only just felt the sensation of apparating when something curious happened.  She opened her eyes suddenly and found that she was still on the cloud bank were she had just previously left.

She frowned pensively.  This was bad.

            Apparating has laws that Buttercup discovered herself through experience –first of all, when apparating one would feel the sensation of entering the Over World.  It was sort of like having your foot fall asleep all over, she recalled absently.  Time in the Over World moves faster than in the actual world.  What would seem like five minutes in the Over World is little more than three to five seconds normally.  

In the Over World, no matter who at the time is apparating you will never, or hardly ever, see them.  Buttercup knew this from all the times that she and Butch had apparated simultaneously and never once encountered him, though she did recall seeing him flash by once.  Blossom mentioned that it was probably due to the scale of the Over World.

Buttercup sighed.  Going over these mentally was a pain.

            The final and most prevalent rule of apparating was that one could never apparate to a place they'd never been.  It didn't make sense but it seemed like the only possible cause for her to be sent back to her spot.  In order to apparate, you envision the location desired and enter the Over World where, at the end of a mild stretch, you see the destination.  If the place you'd been before has changed in any sort of drastic way you won't register the area and your mind can't reach it.  End of story.

            The green Powerpuff recalled the phone message earlier that evening.

            "A recent monster attack…"  She groaned loudly, "No wonder I can't recognize the house."

            And since she couldn't think of any neighboring houses to apparate to, she'd have to fly over there herself.

----

            Butch arrived in front of the neighbor's house with a fizzle.

            "We can wait in the tree, Butter…Buttercup?"

He looked around.

And cursed.

            He started by apparating far down the street to the site of his totaled house.

            "Maybe she got here anyway."  He reasoned.  
  


No such luck.

            Butch looked down either side of the street, on the roofs and down neighboring streets.  Buttercup, however, was nowhere to be found.  Butch fell onto his back and stared up at the sky.  How could she have ever made his life so complicated?

He stayed there for a long while, then apparated back to the neighbor's house to wait.

----

            Blossom and Bubbles flew in comfortable silence the rest of the way –no longer nervous of the follower, or guilty over their slight deceit with each other, the night air was cold, but refreshing, inspiring silent hopes among them.

            They had almost arrived, flying over the suburban homes near the Boy's house when Bubbles' vision caught movement.

            "Blossom?  Who's that?"  A man dressed in all black was sneaking into a house!

            "A robber!"  Blossom exclaimed, "And an ingenious one at that –no one would suspect that someone would be stupid enough to rob a house so close to the Rowdyruff boy's house!"  
            "Let's get him!" They called together and descended rapidly from the sky.

----

            Butch had been searching for the key the neighbor's had given him when he heard a distinctive 'let's get him!'.  He turned around just in time to see two blazing figures fall from above like maniacal angels.  They knocked him far away from the door, face implanted in the ground, and he could feel their presence looming over him.

            "What in the hell…" He groaned.

            "So, thought you were clever in robbing a house close to the Rowdyruff boys, eh?"  
  


He recognized the voice.

Blossom.

Butch could have cried right there on the spot.

            "Surrender or we'll be forced to kick your face!"  Bubbles squealed, almost delightedly, which made Butch question her morals in general.

He tried to say,

            "This isn't what you think…"  But before he could finish the sentence, they attacked.

----

Brick woke up rather suddenly.

            "Yo!  Yo Boomer, wake up!"  Boomer groaned and rolled over, opening one fuzzy blue eye, then the other.

            "Dude…"  His brother whined, "It's like…one in the morning."

But Brick was listening intently to the quiet shuffle on the front lawn.

            "Do you hear that?"  He asked.  Boomer stopped whining and listened.

            "It sounds like…squeaking…"  There was a moment of consideration.

            "The girls!"

----

            Buttercup's sudden arrival was both fortunate and unfortunate.  On the one side, her seemingly random appearance distracted Blossom and Bubbles long enough for Butch to curl into a protective ball.  On the other hand, it did not explain why she was dressed in all black in a neighborhood far across town.

            "Butch?"  Buttercup exclaimed, deepening the situation slightly.  The remaining Powerpuff girls swiveled their attention to 'the robber', Butch, who uncurled himself slightly and crawled over to the green puff's side, taking an excruciating moment to stand up.  His hair was more tousled than usual.

            "What the heck are you guys doing out here?!" Bubbles shouted, throwing her hands up in the air, "And where did the robber go?"

Silence.

            Blossom sighed.

            "Why are you guys both dressed in black?  And why were you trying to break into the house?!"

Brick and Boomer fell out of the front door.

            "Hi girls!"  They cheered, only slightly sleepy, and stood up.  Boomer looked around with a curious, then suspicious, expression.

            "Did we have a meeting and I missed something?"

The professor stepped out of his car then, crossed his arms and leaned against the door.

            "Good question."

Everyone smiled sheepishly.

End of Part 6

            Sorry to leave you with another cliff hanger –I'm also sorry that I hadn't done much work on the story for a while.  ^.^;;  I've been very busy with school and other things have been calling my attention.  But I did get this chapter out, and it's all for you guys.  Thank you for keeping up with me thus far, and I hope I can get Part 7 out soon!  Byee!


	7. Revelations and Other Oddities

Love Him Not

            The long ride home was commenced in excruciating silence.  Every once and a while, someone would shuffle, but no one dared talk.  Not with the atmosphere the Professor had established.

            The discussion on the lawn had proved too much a disarray –in the end, Professor Utonium told the neighbors (who had been awoken either when Bubbles burst out crying or Boomer attacked Butch because of it, no one knew for sure) that the boys would stay at his home for the time being.  All six of the super heroes were crammed neatly in the backseat, some of them sad, others angry, and all downright tired.  Eventually, the paddy wagon pulled into the drive way, and the guilty teenagers shuffled out and inside the house.

Butch and Buttercup didn't even apparate.

            The first words since downtown were spoken by the Professor –

            "Boys, you'll be sleeping in the Lab with me.  Girls, get upstairs."  Then he added, though they all knew it was coming,

            "We'll talk about this in the morning."  Which, as many children know, never ends well.

            There was a brief and simultaneous exchange of goodnights as the living room emptied out.

But no one really went to sleep.

-----

            Buttercup felt emotionally crossed between betrayed and bitter.  How she had been wrapped and would ultimately be punished for a plot in which she was the victim was infuriatingly beyond her.  She didn't bother to change her clothes and flopped on top of her bed, nestling in the black covers where Begee was contently snoozing on Butch's dirty shirt.  And while she mulled, she detected a foreign smell in her room.

Butch.

His scent was all around from earlier that day.

            Her face darkened.

            "It's his fault too."  She murmured bitterly, "If he'd never told me I wouldn't have gotten in trouble."

But for the first time, she couldn't get mad at him.  In fact, as she considered disbelievingly to herself, she didn't feel terribly upset at anyone. 

            Buttercup cautiously inhaled the smell of her room.  She crawled over to where Butch had sat on her bed just hours before, and inhaled again.  And, though she would hardly admit it, it brought a strange mix of emotions to her mind.  Crossings between hate and humor and excitement.  She buried her face in that spot and muttering against the covers,

            "I want to tackle him."  Before slipping away into a light, comfortable sleep.

----

            Blossom lifted her hair brush from off the vanity and started the ritual.

One, two.  One-hundred brushes for each side.

Three, four, five.

            There goes the plan.  Between the four of them (herself not included, _obviously_) they had already admitted to half the plot in a hurried and rushed fashion which, if she knew the Professor (and she did) he would inquire upon in the morning.

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

            Not to mention Butch and Buttercup had been there as well, hearing their secrets plainly exposed.

Eleven, twelve.

            It wouldn't have been so bad, Blossom thought, if they hadn't been there.  The Professor wouldn't have argued with their scheme, if not disapproved slightly.

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.

            Why were they there, anyway?

Fifteen, sixteen.

            And dressed in all black?  
  
Sixteen, sixteen.

            They couldn't have…I mean, four against two, we would have noticed!  
  
Sixteen, sixteen, sixteen.

            Then again…

  
Sixteen…

            Blossom set the brush down on the vanity rather forcibly.  She listened to the sounds of the door and the sounds in the room next door, where Buttercup's patterned breathing told her she was asleep.  Then she sat down at her desk and began, in a methodical fashion, listing the proving and disproving evidence that her theory was correct.

----

            Bubbles whimpered as she examined, for perhaps the millionth time that day (one-hundred-and-sixty-four, to be precise), the picture of Boomer resting upon her dresser.  He seemed alive within her scared 'The Great Funtime Adventures of Bunny-Bunny and Friends' frame, the vivid colors sparking his blonde hair to life, and making his wide blue eyes glitter.

            The blue Powerpuff sniffled miserably and hugged the picture tightly to her chest.

Then she heard a knock on her window.

            Bubbles glanced up reluctantly to see her sister, Blossom, avidly waving a sheet of pink notebook paper in her hand (?).  Bubbles moved dejectedly to the window, 'Boomer' still dangling from one hand as she opened the window for her sibling to fly inside.

Blossom whispered, "I figured it out."

Bubbles blinked slowly, her lip starting to tremble before she quietly wailed,

            "I don't care."  And fell crying on top of her bed.  Blossom immediately moved to her side, soothingly stroking her back.

            "We'll never be lovers now!" She cried steadily, muffled on the soft stain texture of her blankets.  Blossom decided not to question the terminology, knowing Bubbles' tendencies towards malapropism, and decided, rather, to be supportive.

            "Bubbles, don't be silly.  Boomer likes you as much as you like him.  I'm sure of it!"

            Bubbles sniffled, peering out slightly from her tunnel of despair and into the light of optimism, "Really?"

 Blossom nodded securely.  "Really."

            Bubbles smiled softly, and snuggled up to Blossom's side, wiping her last remaining tears away, and scooping her boyfriend's portrait into her arms once more.

"Thanks Blossom."  She smiled.

"No thanks necessary.  We're sisters."

They giggled lightly.

            "Speaking of which," The pink Puff continued, "I've figured out why our efforts to match Buttercup and Butch hadn't proceeded correctly."

            Bubbles hugged the picture tighter, giving Blossom an inquiring expression.

            "They're having a secret relationship already!"

Bubbles nearly exclaimed, "WHAT?!" but Blossom was quick to sensor her sister's surprise.

            "Think about it!  Doesn't it make perfect sense?"  
Bubbles shook her head.

            "Well…think about all the times they were together.  Whenever _we_ saw them together, they were always fighting.  But how did they always manage to find each other to fight?"

Bubbles said, "Maybe they met before.  Like a date?"  
            "Exactly!  So do you get it?"  
            "Not really."

Blossom sighed as Bubbles started to expound her reasoning,

            "Even when they don't fight they never get along.  Boomie and I get along.  And Brick and you get along.  Shouldn't they?"  
            "It's probably a love-hate relationship."

Bubbles crinkled her nose delicately,

            "That's an…ox…oxen…"

            "Oxymoron?"

            "Right.  And besides that, why would they keep it a secret?"  
            "Because Buttercup is a tough girl.  Tough girls don't have boyfriends."

Bubbles' nose remained cutely scrunched as she considered the possibilities.  Finally, she stated, "I still don't get it.  But it sounds a little possible."

            "And all we have to do," Blossom started with an air of fresh determination, having already forgotten what their last plan had brought about, "Is to catch them in the act."

            "I can help with that!" Bubbles cheered enthusiastically, then turned to digging through her coloring drawers until she resurfaced with a blue, heart-shaped camera.

            "Bubbles, you're a genius!"  While her sister blushed proudly, Blossom fiddled with the gadget.  It was half-way loaded with film, roughly seven or eight more pictures to go.  There was no flash, however, which could either be helpful or detrimental to the cause, she could not imagine which yet.

            Bubbles quieted suddenly, so quickly in fact that it caught Blossom attention.  Something else caught her attention.

Descending floorboards.

Their mouths moved simultaneously.

"Buttercup."  They wordlessly followed in suit.

----

            Brick lay idly in the darkness, half of him reviewing Barbarian war tactics in the thirteenth century, the other half memorizing the regularities of the Professor's snoring.  The day was certainly long, and he wasn't in the real mood to consider the insanity and obscurity the plan itself had presented to them in the long run.  In all honesty, he probably would have lived an easier life never hearing of it.

            But (like a wuss, he thought dismally) he did it for one of the more pathetic reasons in the mindset of some teenage boys like himself.

He'd done it for a girl.

One absolutely amazing and beautiful super heroine girl, but a girl nonetheless.

            When did he become this way, he wondered mildly.  Was it before or after the fateful day when he hit Blossom for the first, and last, time?  When they had kissed for the first time?

            He felt himself turning a peculiar shade of red, worsening his mood only slightly.  Finally feeling fed up with the topic, he closed his eyes and concentrated fully on war strategies.  It was then, however, that Brick heard a shuffling towards the base of the lab stairs.

            A curious, climbing sound.

            He estimated the time.

It was Butch.  

Going for his one o' clock glass of milk.  

Brick relaxed slightly and settled on his make-shift cot, seeing the door open slightly then silently close.  At least now the plot was open, and there would be no more running around.  

----

            Butch got his customary calcium urge at this time every night –it dragged him down the hall, past the living room and stairs, into the kitchen for a glass of milk, then guaranteed easily sleep.  But, as he quietly arrived at his destination, he noted a figure already there.

            Though his sleepy eyes and the dim darkness he only caught certain things about her: long hair and fluid movements, the rest of her obscured, seeming to blend in with the shadow.  She was seated at the kitchen table with her head buried in her arms.

The glass of milk said it all, really.

            His calcium craving temporarily forgotten, Butch silently pulled up a chair and watched her sleeping form.

            "Buttercup."  He whispered, "Wake up."

            "I'm not sleeping, idiot."  She looked up, eyelids drooping slightly in her drowsiness.  Butch rolled his eyes.

            "You really are a brat, you know."  But he was, oddly, grinning.  Buttercup grudgingly smiled as well.

            "Jerk."

Then odder still, they laughed.  _Together._  Buttercup felt, once more, the inexplicable urge to punch him.  But as she had found herself doing lately, she valiantly resisted, instead pushing her milk to his side of the table.

            "Here.  I cleared all the milk just now."

            "Well now," Butch remarked sarcastically, washing the calcium-rich fluids in a single gulp, "that was gracious turn in your usual cruel behavior."

            "Denial in the calcium department at one in the morning is even too cruel for me."  She grumbled, her spirit in better humor, "Don't push it though."

            A spoon rose from the sink and smacked him wickedly in the forehead.  Butch meant to retaliate with that same spoon, sending it careening towards her with his own metal manipulation.  Buttercup concentrated however, and the spoon stalled between them.  The challenge had begun, either gazing deeply at the other for any sign of weakness.

            Buttercup stared, in a daze of warm milk and partial insomnia, into the forest green eyes of Butch.  Her heart picked up speed as she concentrated harder.  Butch was…her…rival.  She wanted to punch him.  Punch him for…for smiling and smelling…the way he did…

She blanked out suddenly; the spoon went flying forward, merely brushing her hair and crashing with a satisfied smack onto the sink.

            Buttercup laughed shortly, quietly, and shrugged her shoulders.

            "I guess you win, then."

Butch made a strangling sound.

            "What…" He sputtered, "What did you just say?"  She blinked.

            "You…win?"

Butch couldn't think of anything to say.  Buttercup had just realized what she said and couldn't think of anything to say.  Either of them felt themselves growing hot in the face, and with her violent tendencies uprising the green Powerpuff swiftly pushed herself out of her chair.

            "I'm…I'm going to back to bed." She whispered, moving out of the kitchen.

The green Rowdyruff sat very still then abruptly lashed out, grabbing her arm.  Buttercup jumped away, more likely in shock –the action made him feel ill.

            "What?" Buttercup asked, a cross between breathless and annoyed.

            "Is 'The Plan' still on?"  He inquired after a moment.  She frowned.

            "I…I think that…we should just forget it.  For now, I mean."

  
Buttercup fainted mentally.  I can't believe I just said that.

            "Alright then."

            "You're just…okay with this?"

He shrugged casually, turning towards the basement door.

            "It was your call."  He nudged her arm slightly.  "Night, brat."  

Buttercup crossed her arms tightly, laughing ruefully, silently, and to herself.

            "Goodnight jerk."  She bit her lip, hesitated, then flew swiftly upstairs and quietly shut her door.  Butch reappeared at the top of the basement stairs.

            "Hey Buttercup I was just thinking…"  He quietly glanced around, shook his head and receded back into the basement.

On the middle stair, a creeping sound ascended, moved down the hall and entered the pink room to the right.

            Blossom reappeared in her sister's room, where Bubbles had been waiting with growing anticipation.

            "What did you hear?" She asked quietly.  Blossom smiled gracefully and shrugged.

            "Nothing of importance.  I was way off base."  She yawned.  "I'm going to bed, Bubbles.  Professor's really going to give it to us, so sleep well."

Her baby-blue sister tilted her head one way, but dismissed her perplexity quickly.

            "I'm glad it's nothing.  Sleep tight, Blossom."

            "Goodnight Bubbles."

----

            Buttercup was terribly sleepy, but she continued to flip cards.

            "Love him…love him not…love him…love him not…"  Stupid and girlish, yes, but Buttercup felt she needed some form of security in her answer.  Meanwhile, the number of cards dwindled.

            "Love him…love him not…"  She threw the last card.  "Love him."

The green Powerpuff growled, burying her head in her pillow as she drifted, once more, into slumber.

            "Stupid cards…"  She grumbled.  But underneath her pillow, she was smiling.

Disclaimer: I own the Powerpuff Girls, not!  Alas, it pains me so.

Happy 100 review to meeeeeeeee~!  And thank you for the oodles and oodles of support you all have offered me –it is more appreciated than these typed words can express! ^____^  I don't think this ending is counted as a cliffhanger, so you all should be very proud of me. ^___^   In any case, this story is almost finished!  AHHHHHH!!!  -cough- Please excuse my excitement.  Thanks for sticking along thus far!!  Arigatou, minna-san!  -bows-


	8. A NotSo Proper Ending

Love Him Not

            All things said, the Professor handled the problems leniently –aside from a scathing reprimand on 'plainly foolish and ill thought decisions', no one had been severely injured on a physical or emotional level.

            In the end, Blossom's poignant argument had secured their escape from punishment.  Having been unanimously decided (may as well put her argumentive mouth to use, as Buttercup remarked afterwards) to speak on the entire group's behalf, she classified their motives as 'the Usual Teenage Frivolity', casually mentioning Professor Utonium's childhood persona.  He really had not choice but to let them off.

            "Well," said Boomer afterwards, resting on the couch with Bubbles curled into his arm, "I guess everything worked out."

            "It's all back to normal!" chimed Bubbles gleefully.

Blossom was not so easily satisfied, and seemed rather distracted as she gazed outside of the windows.  Brick followed her gaze, where green light flashed back and forth.  Occasionally, the house would shake prior to a large explosion.

            "No kidding." 

            His gaze shifted back to Blossom, whose bottom lip trembled terribly.  Then suddenly, in a manner that was very uncharacteristic (even for herself) she let out a peculiar, anguished wail.

            "But I wanted to _win_!" She cried.  "Justice is skewed!"

Boomer and Bubbles sighed simultaneously, either out of exhaustion of the week's events or the bliss they tended to stay in when in the other's company.  The latter being infinitely more possible.

            Brick, seeing there would be no help from him, scratched his nose in a cutely perplexed manner.

            "Who said anything about winning?"  Blossom huffed.

            "You just don't understand."

Brick stared at her, turning an awkward hue of red.  Then, quite suddenly, he just barely pecked her on the cheek, not really worth noticing, no, but flustered him all the same.  And Blossom was in such a state of shock that her brief childishness fluttered through the window, leaving her face a color as vibrant as her hair.

            "JERK!" Buttercup shrieked as she sent a blaze of energy jetting through the air.  Butch countered the blast with a shot of his own, either of them canceling out and disintegrating in a flurry of dazzling green light.

            "BRAT!"  He responded with a series of intricate shots –Buttercup howled –before sending off a brilliant flurry of attacks that, if anyone were closely watching, were more for show than damage.  But the insults did not end there.

            "Idiot!"

            "Airhead!"

            "Loser!"

            "Witch!"

            "Dork!"

            "…Girl!"  Buttercup paused and looked to her left, where Butch was seated.

            "That wasn't much of a comeback." She muttered, teasingly, but fired a round of green shots into the air just the same.  Butch sent off a twin flame, again for show, that caused quite a ruckus, as though someone were actually fighting.

            "OWWW!"  The howled together, laughing silently between them.

            "Well that ought to convince them." Said Buttercup confidently, after a bit.  She jumped to her feet, kicking a skateboard into gear while dusting off her pants.

            "Want to hit the skate park?"  
  


Butch shrugged.

            "Sounds good." Lifting his own skateboard, the two of them ventured towards the back gate, aiming to leave together without too much attention.

            "Hey, Jerk."  He glanced over, half smiling.

            "Yeah, Brat?"

Buttercup pushed her hair impatiently over her shoulder, fidgeting somewhat, though he didn't notice.

            "Remember that day at the Skate Park?"  Butch winced.

            "You don't normally forget stuff like that."  He was, of course, referring to the combination attacks he merely blocked rather than advanced.  She fidgeted again, but it was more noticeable, and she chewed the black edges of her hair unconsciously.

            "Why…"  The green puff paused, "did you give up?  That day?"

Butch stilled beside her, allowing his skateboard to drop on the ground as he put his arms behind his head, pondering the clouds.

            "I don't remember."  He did, but he wasn't about to admit it soon.  Buttercup knew this, and made it apparent by the look she sent him.

            "Stop lying."  He seemed thoughtful for a moment, soon countering with a meek, and rather stupid sounding,

            "You know you love me!"  It was a sickeningly accurate impression of Tommy Sweet, and earned him a secure swat across the head.  He feebly tried to protect himself, snorting as he did so.

            "Let's get going." She muttered, eager to leave in hopes her reddening face would be confused with exertion rather than embarrassment.

            They began their ride down the street, and as they did so, either of their thoughts lingered on the events of the past week –Buttercup recalling the spot on her bed where he sat, Butch remembering the familiar fragrance of her room, romantic musing of this sort that made them fluster all the more, either trying hard not to face the other, neither noticing the others difficulty.  It was the peculiar type of adoration you see mostly in Kindergarten, but occasionally caught with teenagers, especially when their defensive barriers crumble as theirs had.

Buttercup secretly imagined thinking of this when she was older, and once the entire process of courtship was done with.  She would recall the beating of her heart, her girlishly flustered cheeks on her boyish persona, aiming to catch his handsome scent, although her very obstinate logic often prevented it.

So what if he's cute, she thought stubbornly.  Not that she would ever tell _him_.  She smiled, despite herself, something she did most often.  And found herself stealing secret glances at his round green eyes and thick, wild hair.

Not that she would _never_ tell him.

YAY!  I FINISHED IT!  HUZZAH FOR ME!  -fanfare-

And the ending was…

…

…I have a sudden absence of words.  Please forgive me. -.-;

            Please accept my humble apologies!  I have done my best, and ended it as well as I could!  Unfortunately, I am quite incapable in that aspect.  But, at least it's finished, right? –hopeful smile-  I sincerely hope this atrocity of a finish has not ruined your entire reading experience. –sweatdrop-

In any case, much and many thank you to people with the kindness in their heart to read it this far along.  –bows graciously- I am most honored by your words of encouragement and support.  Thank you!

--Artemis


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